RIBA North West last night (Wednesday 20 April 2016) announced that ten projects were winners of 2016 RIBA Regional Awards, in recognition of their architectural excellence. Having shortlisted 17 buildings, the judging panel visited all shortlisted projects over a week in March and reached a decision to award 10 RIBA
Industry bodies give support to new BESA, ECA, and CBH survey Source link
Browser does not support script. Contact us The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is starting a new piece of work to find out what consumer and construction industry clients think of architects. A new ‘working with architects’ survey will be launched by RIBA Immediate Past President, Stephen Hodder MBE
Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £170m two-year extension to its Track Partnership contract for London Underground. Track Partnership, an alliance between Balfour Beatty Rail and London Underground, is responsible for delivering track renewal work across the London Underground network. Balfour Beatty Rail was appointed to the initial contract in
The Merseyside area of Kirkby (where the original meaning of the expression “a Kirkby kiss” denoted the legendary rough reputation of the locale) has had a fantastic Christmas this year that has injected much-needed enthusiasm into the local infrastructure and economy. A survey and evidence from St. Modwen’s indicates that
The amount of companies in the area of Cheshire are going to increasingly benefit from greater internet broadband reception thanks to BT’s pledge to improve connections in the area as part of the internet provider’s “Connecting Cheshire” initiative. With the intention of fully finishing this ambitious and Cheshire-beneficial project by
A grand total of no less than 25 million pounds are set to be devoted to turning Hackney Wick Overground into a brand new and well-functioning location for commuters and business outlets in the vicinity. The architectural firm Landolt Brown has indicated through various pictures made today that the revolutionary
London Borough of Hounslow Council has appointed offsite building specialists, Actavo | Building Solutions, to manufacture and deliver a brand-new, modular, early learning facility to care for children aged 2-3 years. This new early year’s provision is being established as part of the Council’s statutory duty to provide sufficient free
The stadia that host English premiership football matches are often seen as the physical representations of the titanic sporting and financial battles in one of the world’s most competitive leagues: the intimidating amphitheatre of the Etihad Stadium, the geometric confluence of the Emirates, the raucous intimacy of Selhurst Park and
RIBA North West last night (Wednesday 20 April 2016) announced that ten projects were winners of 2016 RIBA Regional Awards, in recognition of their architectural excellence. Having shortlisted 17 buildings, the judging panel visited all shortlisted projects over a week in March and reached a decision to award 10 RIBA Regional Awards at a prestigious ceremony hosted by BBC 6 Music’s Stuart Maconie at The Bluecoat in Liverpool, attended by members of the profession from across the North West. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool by BDP, took home the coveted North West Building of the Year Award, won last year by The Whitworth in Manchester by MUMA. The full list of winners (in alphabetical order): 1) Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool by BDP 2) HOME, Manchester by Mecanoo 3) Library Walk Link Building, Manchester by SimpsonHaugh and Partners 4) Littlewoods Bunker, Liverpool by shedkm 5) Manchester Central Library, Manchester by Ryder Architecture 6) Mellor Primary School, Stockport by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects 7) National Graphene Institute, Manchester by Jestico + Whiles 8) Private House 1109, Cheshire by GA Studio Architects 9) Private House, Cumbria by Bennetts Associates 10) Wirral Metropolitan College, Wirral by Glenn Howells Architects In addition to the ten RIBA Regional Awards announced on the evening, projects were eligible to win one or more RIBA Regional Special Awards. The winners are: Building of the Year Award sponsored by Marley Eternit, – Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Client of the Year Award – Manchester City Council (for HOME, Library Walk Link Building and Manchester Central Library) Small Project of the Year Award (less than £500,000) – Private House 1109 Project Architect of the Year Award – Eleanor Brough, Sarah Wigglesworth Architects (for Mellor Primary School) Emerging Architect of the Year Award sponsored by Tarmac – GA Studio Architects (for Private House 1109) Conservation Award – Manchester Central Library Sustainability Award sponsored by Sika – Alder Hey Children’s Hospital North West Regional Jury Chair, Mushtaq Saleri, commented: “The 2016 North West Awards are testament to the strength of architecture in the region today. With a record number of entries even the shortlisting process was difficult, the judging even more so. “The judges were impressed by the dedication and commitment of the architects we met along the way, matched by clients who were clearly thrilled to have been involved in the special projects recognised by the visits. The vastly differing functions, scale, complexity and budgets make comparisons between the winning schemes impossible. The fact that we were equally moved by a delightful private residence and (in the same afternoon) a state-of-the-art laboratory facility proves that architects can have a positive influence in all areas of our lives. “It has been inspiring to have been privy to these remarkable buildings and to have shared the stories behind their conception and construction. We congratulate all the architects and design teams involved and in particular the clients who continue to support our profession and all it represents The RIBA Awards recognise how this unique relationship can deliver something truly special”. RIBA North West Regional Director, Andrew Ruffler, said: “With a record number of entries, and a shortlist of 17 quality buildings, the jury had an extremely difficult task in identifying those worthy of a RIBA North West regional award this year. In making their decisions it is great to see that that the jury has recognised projects from a wide regional geography, as well as different functions, scales and budgets. It is also highly encouraging to see that a significant number of the winning architects and their practices are based in the North West region, a trend which we hope continues.” Notes to editors: 1. For further press information, access to high resolution press images and the jury citations contact Andrew Ruffler; 07943 769 871 andrew.ruffler@riba.org or Marc Heuston; 0151 703 0107 marc.heuston@riba.org. 2. The 2016 RIBA North West regional awards are kindly sponsored by: 3. The full list of RIBA North West 2016 award-winners (in alphabetical order) are: Regional Awards Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool by BDP HOME, Manchester by Mecanoo Library Walk Link Building, Manchester by Simpson Haugh and Partners Littlewoods Bunker, Liverpool by shedkm Manchester Central Library, Manchester by Ryder Architecture Mellor Primary School, Stockport by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects National Graphene Institute, Manchester by Jestico + Whiles Private House 1109, Cheshire by GA Studio Architects Private House, Cumbria by Bennetts Associates Wirral Metropolitan College, Wirral by Glenn Howells Architects Special Awards Conservation Award: Manchester Central Library Sustainability Award sponsored by Sika: Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Emerging Architect of the Year sponsored by Tarmac : GA Studio Architects (for Private House 1109) Architect of the Year: Eleanor Brough (for Mellor Primary School) Small Project of the Year: Private House 1109 Client of the Year: Manchester City Council (for HOME, Library Walk Link Building and Manchester Central Library) Building of the Year sponsored by Marley Eternit: Alder Hey Children’s Hospital 4. The RIBA Awards have been running continuously since 1966 and are judged and presented locally. No matter the shape, size, budget or location, RIBA award-winning schemes set the standard for great architecture all across the country. RIBA awards are for buildings in the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and International Fellows. 5. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. www.architecture.com. Posted on Thursday 21st April 2016 Source link
Industry bodies give support to new BESA, ECA, and CBH survey Source link
Browser does not support script. Contact us The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is starting a new piece of work to find out what consumer and construction industry clients think of architects. A new ‘working with architects’ survey will be launched by RIBA Immediate Past President, Stephen Hodder MBE and the broadcaster Kevin McCloud at Grand Designs Live in London on 5 May. The findings will benchmark client attitudes, inform future RIBA policy, and for the first time gather a body of evidence which will demonstrate the value of working with architects. They will also give valuable insights into what clients want, information that architects can use to improve how they win and deliver work. There are two versions of the survey, one for private domestic consumer clients, and another for commercial clients. The findings for 2016 will be announced at Grand Designs Live and UK Construction Week in Birmingham in October. The survey will monitor attitudes, providing valuable up-to-date market intelligence for members and the profession as a whole. Jane Duncan, RIBA President, said, “I expect the results from this survey to help our profession develop their skills not just to remain relevant, but to continue to provide a significant and valuable leadership role and add creative innovation to the construction industry.” Stephen Hodder said, “This is a watershed moment for the RIBA. Investing in this kind of market intelligence gives our members the validated information they need to develop their professional service offering for the new era.” Kevin McCloud, broadcaster and client said, “Building is a much more collaborative process than it used to be and among the shifting sands of responsibilities it’s hugely important for clients to understand their roles and to communicate their experiences. The client-architect relationship remains the most powerful and most creative bond on a project; we need to find ways of nurturing it in a world where ways of building are evolving.” To participate in the survey visit: https://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Professionalsupport/RIBAforclients/workingwitharchitects.aspx ENDS Notes to editors The ’Working with architects’ client survey is an online questionnaire hosted on www.architecture.com that should take about 5 minutes to complete. The new survey marks a new phase in the work of the permanent RIBA Client Liaison Group, universally praised for seeking feedback from the client body. Their landmark ‘Client and Architect’ report in 2015 revealed opportunities available to architects prepared to adapt to clients’ changing needs. The Chair of the Client Liaison Group, Nigel Ostime of HawkinsBrown said, “This survey is a critical part of developing our understanding of what constitutes value to our clients. As the people who pay our fees, knowing what they think of us and monitoring our performance on issues that matter most to them is critical for our long-term commercial and, ultimately, professional wellbeing.” Grand Designs Live (GDL) London takes place 30 April – 8 May and includes the Ask an Expert feature, where 24 RIBA Chartered Practices will be on hand to provide free 30 minute consultations with clients, and the RIBA House of the Year feature, where models from the 2015 Channel 4 programme of the same name will be on display. The RIBA Client Liaison Group is chaired by Nigel Ostime of HawkinsBrown and includes Stephen Hodder MBE of Hodder Associates, RIBA Client Ambassador and immediate past president, Paul Morrell OBE, the government’s former chief construction adviser, and Dale Sinclair of AECOM. Client & Architect: developing the essential relationship was published last year. It reported on the findings of the Client Liaison Group’s roundtable meetings with client representatives from eleven different sectors. It distilled five keys themes that are of critical importance to clients: championing the vision; listening and understanding; engaging with people; delivering technical talent; and learning and improving. The whole report and summary write-ups from the roundtable meetings are available free from the RIBA for Clients pages on https://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAProfessionalServices/ClientServices/RIBACLIENTSUPP[1].pdf The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com – follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA Posted on Friday 29th April 2016 Source link
Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £170m two-year extension to its Track Partnership contract for London Underground. Track Partnership, an alliance between Balfour Beatty Rail and London Underground, is responsible for delivering track renewal work across the London Underground network. Balfour Beatty Rail was appointed to the initial contract in 2010, which included an option to extend for a further two years. The company will continue to provide design, labour, plant, and materials, as well as surveying, supervision and management of the works. The scope of works includes points & crossings and ballasted track renewal installation together with associated drainage, signalling, traction power and conductor rail works. The two-year extension takes the contract to March 2018. Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn said: “With world-class expertise in track, electrification and power supply systems, Balfour Beatty Rail is a significant player in the UK rail infrastructure market. We have utilised these market-leading skills and expertise working with London Underground over the last 13 years. This extension is a clear sign of London Underground’s confidence in the capability of Balfour Beatty within the Track Partnership.” This article was published on 24 Mar 2016 (last updated on 24 Mar 2016). Source link
The Merseyside area of Kirkby (where the original meaning of the expression “a Kirkby kiss” denoted the legendary rough reputation of the locale) has had a fantastic Christmas this year that has injected much-needed enthusiasm into the local infrastructure and economy. A survey and evidence from St. Modwen’s indicates that the area has increased in popularity, as shown initially by the fact that a record number of almost 6,000 people who made it to see the town seasonal fairy lights display switch on in December. This is wonderful news for the population of Kirkby that demonstrates the area’s increasing popularity as a holiday destination and a festive fireball in the Merseyside area that could one day (who knows?) rival the city of Liverpool itself. Similarly, the town metropole’s popularity soared during the Christmas season, with an increase totaling of up to 70 per cent in added “likes” on the Facebook page: if social media popularity isn’t a sure indication of what people truly feel about the town of Kirkby, then I don’t know what is. Indeed, the area’s head honcho, the manager named Mike Matthews, has been ecstatic and boasted that the area has enjoyed an incredibly lucrative and popular time this year’s Christmas, despite the uncertain economic climate that the area and country have been facing over the course of the last few years. Many people turned up in their thousands to revel and witness the fabulous variety of aspects that the town had to offer and this should prove to be an incredibly good sign that the area will progress itself into the future of the post-Brexit economy. Indeed, with such an impressive increased fallout to the town’s main area, hopes are high that the area will increasingly prove to be a vital hub of interest to visitors and explorers of the locations in and around the Mersey.
The amount of companies in the area of Cheshire are going to increasingly benefit from greater internet broadband reception thanks to BT’s pledge to improve connections in the area as part of the internet provider’s “Connecting Cheshire” initiative. With the intention of fully finishing this ambitious and Cheshire-beneficial project by next year in 2018, 90 per cent of 6,000 properties will undoubtedly get better and faster access to the resources provided by the internet, with 5,400 receiving it at an incredible velocity of over 24 megabits per second (Mbps). Mister David Brown, a counselor working for Cheshire East Council, is particularly pleased with what the area and companies in the area in general will benefit from this initiative. Individuals under the council’s leadership will be pleased to see their money being put to greater use by improving their connectivity, since 2014 over 92,000 properties in the area have already benefited from these plans to improve the internet speed in the area. With internet fibre technology being one of the fastest and most innovative forms of internet delivery to areas around the world, the Cheshire area in the Northern part of the United Kingdom will be the new beneficiary of this fast new internet provider. It is hoped that this enthusiasm and commitment towards developing faster internet speed across the Northern regions of the country will boost sales and confidence in investments in the area. This will clearly ensure that more and more businesses in the area will be able to access information much more quickly and will therefore conduct themselves in a more timely and cost-efficient way than ever before and will pave the way for Cheshire as one of the most efficient areas of business in the North of England. With the very reliable support of such individuals as David Brown and the rest of the Cheshire council, the future looks bright for the future of companies that have laid their base in the area.
A grand total of no less than 25 million pounds are set to be devoted to turning Hackney Wick Overground into a brand new and well-functioning location for commuters and business outlets in the vicinity. The architectural firm Landolt Brown has indicated through various pictures made today that the revolutionary new changes to the conditions of the station, such as a rebuilt way into the station and a brand new elevators to allow easier access to the various floors, will make it a much easier place to use for all. The ambitious project will also allow for the rebuilding of staircases and elevators to make it a safer and better place for passengers and individuals working in and around the Hackney area in London. By collaborating closely and diligently over the next few months with the councils of Tower Hamlets and Council, who have already invested 1 million pounds towards the initiative, Network Rail has high hopes that with the help of all of these new schemes the project will finally be complete by next year in 2018. Network Rail are also being supported by the LLDC (or the London Legacy Development Corporation) to vastly ameliorate the state of the station and its facilities. Indeed, David Goldstone of LLDC is delighted that the plans to help the station live up to the expectations of its users will coincide with the increased investments in the Hackney community for building better housing and encouraging businesses to set up shop in the area. Through this, the infrastructure of this particular area of North London will be greatly improved, allowing for better property conditions, better employment opportunities and of course better transport conditions for its locals. Mister Jon Fox of Transport for London also put in a word in for the advancement of Hackney Wick Overground, which will improve the conditions of millions of people from all over the capital.
London Borough of Hounslow Council has appointed offsite building specialists, Actavo | Building Solutions, to manufacture and deliver a brand-new, modular, early learning facility to care for children aged 2-3 years. This new early year’s provision is being established as part of the Council’s statutory duty to provide sufficient free early learning and childcare places for disadvantaged 2-year-old children. The new, single-storey facility was manufactured and built by Actavo | Building Solutions in just 11 weeks. The new early year’s centre was completed at the end of December 2016. Comprising a large hall, quiet room, kitchen, bathroom, WCs and staff office, the early year’s facility was built to meet the sustainability assessment that is ‘BREEAM Very Good’. The nursery is sustainable as defined by the ‘triple bottom line’: people, profit, planet. The external of Norwood Green’s new facility has been finished in a brick slip with a covered canopy area. Actavo has delivered a perimeter wall around the facility that will have an electronic gate to maximise safety. Additional facilities also include new bike and buggy stores, as well as a large, grass-crete car park. Modular building methods are proving popular. Matthew Goff, director of UK operations at Actavo | Building Solutions, says: “Modular building methods are proving popular with educators as they wrestle with how best to accommodate pupil influxes. Using offsite construction, projects like Norwood Green Early Years Provision can be completed to tight deadlines and on budget. “Speed and versatility were essential to Norwood Green. They needed permanent space, fast with many modern innovations, which make it both energy-efficient and a delight to be in.”
The stadia that host English premiership football matches are often seen as the physical representations of the titanic sporting and financial battles in one of the world’s most competitive leagues: the intimidating amphitheatre of the Etihad Stadium, the geometric confluence of the Emirates, the raucous intimacy of Selhurst Park and the traditional fortress that is Old Trafford. All of these arenas share at least one aspect of their construction – they all incorporate curved structural steel from metal bending and fabrication experts, Barnshaws Section Benders. Supplying steelwork for stadia is one of the most demanding applications for structural steel. The high safety requirements place stadia at CE Execution Class 3, one of the highest quality certifications for structural steel. Furthermore, due to their size, a large capacity is required to deliver typically hundreds of tonnes of sections to what are often exacting deadlines on each project. Stadia builds and upgrades are usually required to be finished before major events or at the beginning of a season, so that the investment made by clubs can be quickly recouped. Barnshaws Section Benders offers both high capacity and extensive production expertise which has enabled the business to service a wide range of stadium requirements, helping to deliver the world class facilities that the sport demands. Greg North, Commercial Director at Barnshaws Section Benders, explains how the demands are managed: “Most building projects are managed to strict timescales; new builds have investors to satisfy, refurbishments have shutdowns and redirects contributing to the cost and time pressure. Stadia however are a little different, if the ground isn’t finished the game won’t be played there, as football fixtures won’t wait. Our focus on precision and on-time delivery means that, like a top player, we can add value to a team effort and ensure a good result is delivered.” Projects for Premier League sides have included developing the roof over what is now known as the Sir Alex Ferguson stand at Manchester United’s Old Trafford; fabricating the cones for Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and supplying roof tees for Arsenal’s Emirates – all in conjunction with contractor Severfield. Furthermore, Barnshaws aided in the redevelopment of Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park roof with contractor Archbell Greenwood, a stadium that is regarded as one of the most atmospheric in the country. Recent projects include the relocation of West Ham to the ex-Olympic London Stadium including its 6,000 tonne roof and elements for the new Spurs ground adjacent to the original White Hart Lane. In addition, Barnshaws has been involved with a number of renovations for Championship and Football League sides, including Bristol City, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Maidstone Town, MK Dons, Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic. What differentiates Barnshaws contribution is the variation of the projects, ranging from supports for new floodlights, to terracing and roof structures – displaying the wide ranging expertise and experience inherent in the business. Barnshaws is regarded as the world’s most capable metal bending company, specialising specifically in precision curving of ferrous and non-ferrous products. Based in the Midlands, but with operations in the North of England, Scotland and in Europe, the business has supported the civil engineering, power generation, offshore, oil and gas, industrial, commercial vehicle and construction sectors since 1969. Stadiums have become as much an embodiment of the power of modern day football clubs as the accolades they accumulate. Every football club wants to present their home as a fortress to the away side, an atmosphere that owes much to the aesthetic capabilities of structural steel. Top clubs are in a financial as well as sporting battle, one which can be tipped by new stadiums or ground redevelopment to achieve maximum profitability. However beyond this, the lesson of modern football has been that world class facilities raise the standards of the sport, whether in the upper echelons or grassroots of the game. To service these projects requires the utmost expertise, capacity and flexibility – which has allowed Barnshaws to bend the rules when it comes to full service structural steel supply. With innovative suppliers helping to achieve these flagship engineering projects, the sport can be given further room to breathe and develop, which has seen the English Premier League eclipse its foreign competitors. This provides the perfect pedestal for what is the most competitive league in the world and one of the most passionate sporting cultures found anywhere – something that players, managers and most importantly fans, can all revel in every weekend.
